Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, April 1922 · page 20 of 67
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #32 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains five separate humorous jokes typical of 1920s American satirical magazine humor: 1. **"Torch's Best One"**: A joke about a boyfriend who whistles "naughty songs" (sexually suggestive popular music), which the girlfriend finds objectionable. 2. **"Song of the Tire Chain"**: Onomatopoeia mimicking the sounds of a car tire chain—common winter driving equipment of the era. 3. **Gender commentary**: A brief observation mocking women's independence, suggesting men should retain the "privilege" of lighting matches for women—satirizing traditional gender roles. 4. **"In Valparaiso"**: A reference to the ancient philosopher Diogenes, who famously searched for an honest man. Here it's adapted to suggest dishonesty in that city. 5. **Final two jokes**: Wordplay about a pianist's skill and a backhanded invitation referencing "slumming" (visiting poor neighborhoods for entertainment)—mocking both pretension and class attitudes. The page is primarily text-based humor rather than visual cartoons.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
18 Captain Billy's Whiz Bang Torch's Best One She (to fair friend)—“I’m not going with Bill any more.” Fair Friend—“Why not?” She—“He knows too many naughty songs.” Fair Friend—“Does he sing them?” She—“No, but he’s always whistling them.” * * * Song of the Tire Chain Wee, wee, wee, Klop, klop, klop, Squeak, squawk, squeak, Twat, twat, twat. * * * Girls may smoke. However, the correct way to light a match still remains a man’s privilege. * * * In Valparaiso Why so sad, Diogenes? I was going up College Avenue looking for an honest man, and, alas, someone stole my lantern. * * * “That pianist sure claws a mean batch of ivories.” “Yeh, he sure beats a•nasty can!” * * * “Now do be sure to come and see us soon, won’t you?” “Yes, we will. We’ll call on you the first time we go slumming.”